That’s why yesterday evening advocates held another parking protected bike lane protest, this time on Howard. Past protests such as these have brought mainstream media attention and political pressure to get similarly delayed safety projects, on Upper Market and Turk, back in motion. It’s not that there isn’t a plan or funding for putting a protected bike lane on Howard, it’s just that it isn’t happening. Matt Brezina, one of the key organizers of these protests (two photos down, doing a TV interview) is hoping that, once again, the protest can embarrass dawdling and bickering city agencies into action.

Throughout rush hour, throngs of cyclists enjoyed a brief respite from car traffic on the stretch from 7th to 8th on Howard

Streetsblog has an inquiry in with SFMTA and has been swapping calls with Jane Kim’s office, the supervisor who represents the district, to find out what the delay is all about (Kim, by the way, was at the protest but left shortly before Streetsblog arrived). But according to a source close to the goings on, the problem holding up Howard is the same one that was been holding up Howard for over a year–conflicts with the fire department.

*UPDATE: After publishing, Streetsblog received this reply from SFMTA: “Unfortunately, Howard Street has unique engineering challenges because of overhead Muni powerlines and the diversity of uses on the street, including the Moscone Center. We are continuing to work the San Francisco Fire Department on these issues. These challenges mean that near-term improvements similar to Folsom could not be installed,” wrote Bradley Dunn, an SFMTA spokesman for the project.*

Protest organizer, Matt Brezina, doing an interview with KTVU

There are Muni trolley bus wires over the bike lane on Howard. The concern is, at least ostensibly, that if the parking lane and bike lane on Howard are swapped to create a parking-protected bike lane, fire engine ladder trucks will no longer be able to get their outriggers down (the struts that stabilize a ladder truck when the ladder is extended) and get the angle they need to get a ladder up to the tops of buildings. This is the same issue that delayed putting in a protected bike lane on Upper Market and Turk.

The solution on those streets? On Turk, the bike lane was put on the left side of the street. And on Upper Market, the parking lane was eliminated and a concrete curb was used instead to protect cyclists. This gives fire trucks ample room to do what they need to do in the event of a building fire.

So why not do the same thing on Howard?

A Muni bus, powered by the wires over Howard, making its way past the protest

Either is possible. Chris Cassidy, spokesman for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, explained that businesses on Turk and Upper Market were very supportive about moving parking on those streets to allow for safety improvements. Without similar support on Howard, it’s been harder to get things moving.

There is some hope, however. Streetsblog’s source says that fire department representatives on the Transportation Advisory Staff Committee (the body where street improvements are getting jammed up) are soon to be replaced. And advocates hope that by continuing the pressure and media attention this latest impasse to safer streets can be broken and a parking protected bike lane on Howard will finally get put in. Brezina said he would like to see a protected bike lane on Howard that is wide enough for a ladder truck to use–and put down its outriggers–to satisfy both sides of this issue.

Howard Street needs protected lanes, especially around Moscone and the hotels nearby. That has been my aspirational but improbable vision for the last 20 years. Thanks so much to the activists who are moving this conversation forward: you people rock!

crazyvag

Some day, a bike and on a street with an electrified bus line will be a normal situation… Not a unique one.

The power lines are typically pleced such that to allow bus to go around double parked vehicles. With parking and bike lane taking up space of the former traffic lane, world shifting the overhead lines towards the center of the roadway solve some of the FD concerns?

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